Tacos
November 18, 2020
The El Paso Taco Trail
A roundup of the city's best offerings, from beefy burritos to modernist cuisine.
El Paso
Health
November 17, 2020
El Paso Natives Face a Holiday Season Far From Home as Their City Suffers
For those who hail from the COVID-19 hot spot, isolation from family this Thanksgiving and Christmas is especially painful.
Border & Immigration
November 6, 2020
El Paso’s COVID-19 Spike Is a Binational Problem
Leaders on both sides of the Rio Grande claim border crossings, an aspect of daily life in the region, have contributed to the recent surge in infections.
Border & Immigration
June 25, 2020
We Didn’t Think We Would Live in El Paso Permanently. It Became Home.
The border city treated my family with care and invited us to find community there.
Tacos
June 22, 2020
Licon Dairy Has Made Cheese for Sixty Years Along El Paso’s Mission Trail
This San Elizario family business, which specializes in queso asadero, started in a home kitchen and now has fans around the country.
BBQ
June 15, 2020
A Century Ago, an Intense Barbecue Rivalry Pitted El Pasoans Against One Another
It was most likely the first Texas barbecue dispute to end up in court.
Books
January 22, 2020
A Ross Thomas Adaptation Rethinks the Border Noir
'Briarpatch,' a new show on USA Network, portrays a West Texas rarely seen on TV.
Books
December 2, 2019
Chef Aarón Sánchez Hasn’t Forgotten His Texas Roots
The El Paso native and celebrity chef is coming home in support of his new memoir, ‘Where I Come From.’…
Art
November 13, 2019
How a Public Art Project in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez is Spurring Cross-Border Conversations
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s interactive 'Border Tuner' is visible this month from both cities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arts & Entertainment
November 4, 2019
The National Media Hilariously Misunderstands Texas Geography
All the news from the “Dallas suburb” of Marfa and the “adjacent” regions of El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley.
Food & Drink
October 16, 2019
Celebrating the Border’s Fusion of Cuisine and Culture in El Paso and Juárez
A pair of Mexico City’s best-known chefs team up to host benefit dinners that shine a light on all that unites this binational community.
Border & Immigration
September 26, 2019
Weighing Just 107 Pounds and at Risk of Death, an Asylum Seeker on Hunger Strike Finally Gets His Freedom
After 76 days on hunger strike and almost a year in detention, Ajay Kumar has been released from ICE custody in El Paso.
News & Politics
September 19, 2019
Veronica vs. the Swamp
Veronica Escobar, the first Latina to represent El Paso in Congress, isn’t afraid of playing the Washington game—as long as it means the Texas borderlands get the respect they deserve.
Border & Immigration
August 29, 2019
What Texas Latino Leaders Want to Hear at the Democratic Debate in Houston
In the aftermath of the El Paso shooting, party leaders expect the presidential candidates to address racism and immigration.
Music
August 21, 2019
Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro’s Campaign Playlists Are Meaningless (But One Is Clearly Better)
An analysis of the two Texan presidential candidates’ rally songs.
Border & Immigration
August 16, 2019
ICE Doctor Defends Force-Feeding Detainees on Hunger Strike as ‘Uncomfortable’ But Necessary
At a hearing on Friday, the El Paso doctor said force-feeding was considered medically unethical, but that ICE's rules required her to do it.
The Culture
August 14, 2019
What Does It Mean to Be Latinx in the Wake of El Paso?
A reflection on the recent shooting that left 23 people dead.
The Culture
August 12, 2019
Filmmaker Angie Reza Tures: “It’s a Crazy Time To Be an Artist, To Be a Brown Person”
The El Pasoan reflects on violence in her hometown, and why it’s important for the Latinx community to tell their own stories.
The Culture
August 7, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: This 11-Year-Old Is Showing the World What El Pasoans Are Made Of
After last weekend's mass shooting, Ruben Martinez created the viral #ElPasoChallenge to inspire random acts of kindness.
The Culture
August 6, 2019
Kacey Musgraves Speaks Out On Gun Reform at Lollapalooza
During her set at the Chicago music festival, the pop-country star decried last weekend’s mass shootings.
Politics & Policy
August 6, 2019
What the Shooter and Trump Don’t Understand About My Hometown of El Paso
What the rest of the country will see in the days to come is a city of resilience, compassion, and honesty.
Politics & Policy
August 3, 2019
‘El Paso Is Beautiful’: El Pasoans Come Together and Reach Out in a Day of Terror
At a jam-packed blood bank, El Pasoans said they were proud of their hometown and expressed dismay that an outsider could wreak such havoc on their city—one of the safest in the country. …
News & Politics
August 3, 2019
The Shooting at an El Paso Walmart Is One of the Deadliest in Modern U.S. History
One of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history took place on Saturday afternoon.
Border & Immigration
July 23, 2019
The Other Side of the Border
Frustrated by the perception of the border as a lawless land, two native sons embarked on a 1,200-mile journey to capture, through a series of images and letters, the region’s untold stories.
Border & Immigration
July 18, 2019
More Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strikes at El Paso Detention Center
Four Indian men have refused to eat since July 8 in hopes of being released on bonds while awaiting deportation hearings.
News
June 11, 2019
In El Paso, Border Patrol Is Detaining Migrants in ‘a Human Dog Pound’
Immigration officials have resumed the much-criticized practice of keeping people outdoors for weeks to relieve dangerous overcrowding.
Art
April 26, 2019
Behind Every Painting, a Desperate Kid: The “Uncaged Art” of Tornillo’s Detained Migrant Children
A new exhibit at UT-El Paso displays works by young people held last year at the immigration detention center.
News & Politics
April 25, 2019
‘I’m in Danger’: Migrant Parents Face Violence in Mexico Under New Trump Policy
At hearings in El Paso, asylum seekers forced to stay in Juarez told of violence and fear.
Music
March 15, 2019
Khalid Said Goodbye to his ‘American Teen’ Days at SXSW on Thursday
With just three weeks until his new album, ’Free Spirit,’ the singer from the city of the 915 played the songs that made him a star one last time.
Music
February 7, 2019
Listen to ‘Talk,’ a Killer Single From Khalid’s Upcoming Second Album
El Paso’s favorite adopted son teams up with British superproducers Disclosure to preview his April album release.
Politics & Policy
February 6, 2019
Texas Has Been Just a Prop for Trump From the Beginning
Our state is accustomed to deference from Republican administrations—deference it has earned. Why are our Republican leaders letting him create our narrative?…
Politics & Policy
February 5, 2019
These El Pasoans Are Rejecting Trump’s False Claims About the City’s Border Fence and Crime Rate
The city's congresswoman says that Trump lied about the west Texas city during his state of the union speech.
January 30, 2019
From East Texas to El Paso, Four Texans Reflect on Where They’re From
Over the years, Texas Monthly’s most celebrated voices have written about the places that shaped them, from the Panhandle to the border. We revisit some of the classics.
Books
October 20, 2018
Octavio Solis’s Memoir ‘Retablos’ Offers a Vision of El Paso’s Border Beyond the News
Told through vignettes, 'Retablos,' a memoir by playwright Octavio Solis, depicts the myths and realities of a childhood along the border.
Music
October 19, 2018
Khalid Is Still Very Much Representing El Paso on His New ‘Suncity’ EP
The pop star, forever from the city of the 915, releases his new EP.
Film & TV
August 9, 2018
The Real ‘BlacKkKlansman’ Is a Texan
The film from Spike Lee and Jordan Peele is based on the experiences of El Pasoan Ron Stallworth.
BBQ Joint Reviews
July 12, 2018
El Paso’s Desert Oak Barbecue Has Come a Long Way
Three large red letters caught my eye at a busy intersection in El Paso, and I knew I’d found the new home for Desert Oak Barbecue. “BBQ” is the only thing written above the door, but it stands out amid the strip center clutter. It’s a big step up from…
Border & Immigration
June 20, 2018
El Paso County Sheriff Prohibits Staff From Moonlighting at Tornillo Tent City for Children
The move by Sheriff Richard Wiles marks a growing chorus of local law enforcement across Texas that is critical of the federal family separation policy.
Border & Immigration
June 5, 2018
The Confrontation on the Bridge, and a New Tactic in the War Against Immigrants
Last weekend, border agents turned away legal asylum-seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border. In a ‘Texas Monthly Reporter’ podcast, reporter Robert Moore discusses this tactic and its effect on those being turned away.
News & Politics
May 22, 2018
UT–El Paso President Announces Retirement After 30 Years at the Helm
Diana Natalicio is believed to be the longest serving president of a public university in the country.
Film & TV
April 20, 2018
‘Home + Away’ Shows How Sports Help Students Overcome the Realities of the Border
The film captures the lives of three student-athletes in El Paso and the dual nature of the U.S.–Mexico border.
Border & Immigration
April 13, 2018
Is it a Border Wall or a Fence or a Barrier?
As construction begins for Trump’s project near El Paso, debate turns to nomenclature instead of immigration.
Style & Design
February 6, 2018
A Family’s Dream Mountain Home in El Paso
Every room has a spectacular view in this ultramodern house that makes the most of its surroundings.
Travel & Outdoors
October 19, 2017
Next Time You Travel in Texas, Stay in a Hostel
For an affordable stay in a new city, with built-in friends.
Politics & Policy
August 11, 2017
DC2DQ: Will Hurd’s Road Trip for Survival
Republican congressman is among the most vulnerable in the nation.
Texas Trip Guides
April 19, 2017
Trip Guide: El Paso
In our westernmost city, cultural boundaries are as fluid as the Rio Grande.
Music
January 21, 2016
Wormed Their Way Through Distant Earth: On The At The Drive-In Reunion
After a short run of festival dates in 2012, the El Paso rock heroes return with new music and a world tour.
BBQ Joint Reviews
November 20, 2015
Desert Oak Barbecue
Back in April, I gave El Paso some tough love. I had tried and failed to find good barbecue there, and I wrote about my futile search in an article called “BBQ in Far West Texas? I’ll Paso.” With a headline like that, it’s no surprise that the piece resulted in…
Health
August 20, 2015
El Paso’s Abortion Clinic Can Reopen, At Least For Now
Reproductive Services will become the first shuttered clinic to reopen its doors after HB2, but its future is still unclear.
Music
July 23, 2015
Spotify Charts The Favorite Songs of Texas Cities, & It Isn’t Surprising At All
The music sharing service shows how little Dallas and Houston have in common, how Austin loves critical darlings, and how much Aggies love Aggies.